Governor Witzel Suggests Cariocas Avoid Bus Stops During Police Actions

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The governor of Rio de Janeiro, Wilson Witzel, after meeting with vice president Hamilton Mourão in Brasília, said on Monday that the police will continue the fight against organized crime.

He further emphasized that it is organized crime that kills. “Crime bosses order killings. Are we going to continue living like this? Who kills is organized crime, not the police.”

“The police will continue to enter the communities; they will continue to enter neighborhoods because the police face organized crime in the neighborhoods, in the community,” added the governor.

Witzel said: “The government needs to work with the population of the communities during police operations.”

He further explained, “If you are at a location where you hear gunfire, you have to leave, understanding that it may be some kind of police action against crime. We are going to work more in communities, along with the police, to guide the population about how to behave in such an emergency situation.”